{"product_id":"dungeons-dragons-lore-legends-isbn-9781984859686","title":"Dungeons \u0026 Dragons Lore \u0026 Legends","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn illustrated guide to Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons’ beloved fifth edition told through interviews, artwork, and visual ephemera from the designers, storytellers, and artists who bring it to life.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhen the reimagined fifth edition of Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons debuted in the summer of 2014, the game was on the brink of obsolescence. But within a few short years, D\u0026amp;D found greater success than it had ever enjoyed before, even surpassing its 1980s golden age. How did an analog game nearly a half century old become a star in a digital world? For the first time, \u003ci\u003eLore \u0026amp; Legends\u003c\/i\u003e reveals the incredible ongoing story of Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons fifth edition from the perspective of the designers, artists, and players who bring it to life. This comprehensive visual guide illuminates contemporary D\u0026amp;D—its development, evolution, cultural relevance, and popularity—through exclusive interviews and more than 900 pieces of artwork, photography, and advertising curated and analyzed by the authors of the bestselling and Hugo Award–nominated \u003ci\u003eDungeons \u0026amp; Dragons Art \u0026amp; Arcana\u003c\/i\u003e.“Mesmerizing . . . \u003ci\u003eLore \u0026amp; Legends\u003c\/i\u003e is brimming with eye-popping concept art, photos, maps, archival materials and detailed notes.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eYahoo!\u003c\/i\u003e Entertainment\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Featuring everything from the game’s impact on our culture, exclusive interviews, and more than—brace for this, fellow nerds—900 (!) pieces of art, this is an absolute must-have for D\u0026amp;D fans everywhere or any general pop culture connoisseurs.”\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Den of Geek\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003e[Lore \u0026amp; Legends] \u003c\/i\u003eexplores the impact the game has had on pop culture, inspiring numerous other games along with TV shows, books, movies, and actual-play series. The book is packed with art showing how products are developed and the way key characters and settings have changed over the decades.”\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Polygon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Wizards of the Coast has always provided plenty of inspiration in their resources and game modules to fuel the creativity of everyone at the table, and \u003ci\u003eLore \u0026amp; Legends\u003c\/i\u003e celebrates that with gusto. The art alone is reason enough to add this tome to collections or even leave out on coffee tables to provoke intriguing conversations that could lead to future adventures.”\u003cb\u003e—Comic Book Resources\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This book is a must-have for those that have been through the changes of this role playing juggernaut . . . In a world that seems to want to divide us, this game brings people together every single day; that alone is worth celebrating.”\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Geeks of Doom\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e“\u003c\/i\u003eThe beautiful, full-color images that fill each page, and the history carefully told by the writers of the book, make this a critical piece for any collection. There is so much to learn about the worlds we have played through, and it gave me a new level of appreciation for the time and energy the creators put into the game to make it available to us as players.”\u003cb\u003e—Gamepur\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A fascinating read for anyone interested in the history and culture of gaming.”\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Geek Native\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eDungeons \u0026amp; Dragons\u003c\/b\u003e launched the great tradition of roleplaying games in 1974 with an unprecedented mix of adventure and strategy, dice-rolling, and storytelling. Wizards of the Coast continues to honor that tradition, bringing to market a diverse range of D\u0026amp;D game and entertainment experiences and influencing numerous writers, directors, and game designers by tapping into an innate human need to gather with friends and tell an exciting story together.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKyle Newman\u003c\/b\u003e is an author and award-winning filmmaker who has directed numerous feature films including the \u003ci\u003eStar Wars\u003c\/i\u003e-fueled comedy \u003ci\u003eFanboys,\u003c\/i\u003e A24 Films’ \u003ci\u003eBarely Lethal,\u003c\/i\u003e the e-sports comedy \u003ci\u003e1UP,\u003c\/i\u003e and the upcoming Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons documentary for Hasbro, Inc. He has directed the music industry’s top artists, and produced films such as \u003ci\u003eRaiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made.\u003c\/i\u003e As an author, he is known for his work on \u003ci\u003eDungeons \u0026amp; Dragons: Art \u0026amp; Arcana,\u003c\/i\u003e the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling cookbook \u003ci\u003eHeroes’ Feast,\u003c\/i\u003e and its follow-up, \u003ci\u003eHeroes’ Feast Flavors of the Multiverse.\u003c\/i\u003e An honors graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of Film\/Television and a member of the Directors Guild of America, Newman resides in Los Angeles with his partner, Cynthia, and their three sons.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJon Peterson\u003c\/b\u003e is widely recognized as an authority on the history of games, best known as the author of \u003ci\u003ePlaying at the World\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Elusive Shift\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eGame Wizards\u003c\/i\u003e. He also co-authored \u003ci\u003eDungeons \u0026amp; Dragons: Art \u0026amp; Arcana\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHeroes’ Feast: The Official Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons Cookbook\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eHeroes’ Feast Flavors of the Multiverse\u003c\/i\u003e. He has contributed to academic anthologies on games, including MIT Press’s \u003ci\u003eZones of Control\u003c\/i\u003e and Routledge’s \u003ci\u003eRole-Playing Game Studies: Transmedia Foundations\u003c\/i\u003e. Jon also has written for various geek culture websites, including \u003ci\u003eWired, Polygon,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBoingBoing,\u003c\/i\u003e as well as maintaining his own blog.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Witwer\u003c\/b\u003e is a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author known for his work on the Hugo-nominated \u003ci\u003eDungeons \u0026amp; Dragons: Art \u0026amp; Arcana,\u003c\/i\u003e the critically acclaimed \u003ci\u003eEmpire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons,\u003c\/i\u003e and the bestselling \u003ci\u003eHeroes’ Feast: The Official Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons Cookbook.\u003c\/i\u003e His most recent works include \u003ci\u003eDungeons \u0026amp; Dragons: The Legend of Drizzt Visual Dictionary\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHeroes’ Feast Flavors of the Multiverse, \u003c\/i\u003eand his debut novel, \u003ci\u003eVivian Van Tassel and the Secret of Midnight Lake\u003c\/i\u003e. He holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago and resides in Chicago, Illinois, with his wife, two daughters, and two sons.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSam Witwer\u003c\/b\u003e is an American actor and musician, best-known for a series of sci-fi genre roles spanning a twenty-year career. He led the SyFy drama series \u003ci\u003eBeing Human,\u003c\/i\u003e playing down-and-out vampire-gone-straight Aidan Waite (8+3 Hit Dice), and played conflicted Raptor Pilot Crashdown in the Hugo Award-winning series \u003ci\u003eBattlestar Galactica, \u003c\/i\u003eSuperman-killing Doomsday in CW’s \u003ci\u003eSmallville,\u003c\/i\u003e misunderstood Mr. Hyde in ABC’s \u003ci\u003eOnce Upon a Time,\u003c\/i\u003e and antagonist Agent Liberty on WB’s \u003ci\u003eSupergirl.\u003c\/i\u003e Sam is also well-known for his continuing work for the \u003ci\u003eStar Wars\u003c\/i\u003e saga, bringing various characters to life in video games, film, and television, including Starkiller in \u003ci\u003eStar Wars: The Force Unleashed,\u003c\/i\u003e and a multi-year, Emmy-nominated run voicing the villainous ex-Sith lord Darth Maul. Recently, Sam served as the main character in Sony’s \u003ci\u003eDays Gone\u003c\/i\u003e videogame. He is a longtime fan of science fiction and fantasy, and an avid player of both electronic games and pen-and-paper role-playing games.\u003cb\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDungeons \u0026amp; Dragons was released in 1974 and would go on to change the world in ways both big and small. It single-handedly launched the tabletop roleplaying game industry and pioneered gaming mechanics and setting concepts that would be counted among the most influential and foundational of the Information Age. But forty years after its release, it seemed like the world might have passed D\u0026amp;D by. The game had enjoyed a good run, but following its faddish popularity in the 1980s, Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons had difficulty connecting to a gaming culture that increasingly revolved around consoles, computers, and mobile devices. Ironically, these digital games depended heavily on the very same ideas that the quirky tabletop game had originated, which were now delivered to a tech-savvy audience that was far more interested in pixels than dice. Video games based on D\u0026amp;D’s concepts, such as \u003ci\u003eWorld of Warcraft\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDragon Age\u003c\/i\u003e, and\u003ci\u003e The Elder Scrolls\u003c\/i\u003e, had overshadowed and replaced tabletop roleplaying games almost to the point of obsolescence. When D\u0026amp;D was invoked by popular culture, it was done so as a nostalgic relic of a bygone era. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut not everything was as it seemed. Initiatives were already in motion that would elevate the game to greater heights than anyone could have imagined. In May of 2012, D\u0026amp;D publisher Wizards of the Coast launched the largest and most ambitious tabletop RPG playtest in history, totaling more than 175,000 playtesters by its conclusion. Their due diligence paid off: when the D\u0026amp;D fifth edition \u003ci\u003ePlayer’s Handbook\u003c\/i\u003e was released just over two years later, it topped Amazon’s sales charts—not just among game books, but \u003ci\u003eall \u003c\/i\u003ebooks. What had seemed like the end for D\u0026amp;D was actually the beginning of an incredible resurgence that has grown by leaps and bounds every year. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eToday, fifty million people play the game worldwide; a major feature film and a bevy of TV shows are ample evidence of its popularity. D\u0026amp;D rulebooks, novels, and lifestyle products consistently top the bestseller charts; blockbuster shows, from\u003ci\u003e Stranger Things\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Big Bang Theory\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eRick and Morty\u003c\/i\u003e, can’t seem to reference the game enough. Droves of new fans are tuning in every week to watch the game played by livestreamers. In short, D\u0026amp;D is everywhere. The astonishing revival of the game demands an explanation: How did an analog game nearly a half-century old became a star in a digital world? Why did it suddenly connect with our cultural moment?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnswering those questions is the quest that inspired this book. Some of the contributing factors are more obvious than others. Striving to satisfy the true appetites of their customers, Wizards of the Coast assembled an expert team to design and produce the new edition of the game. The result was an elegant ruleset that appealed equally to beginners and old-schoolers, featuring a bold new visual aesthetic that matched the game’s fresh dynamism. Thanks to the rise of social media, countless celebrities in entertainment and technology could proudly credit D\u0026amp;D for awakening them to creative possibilities, helping to convert their fans into D\u0026amp;D fans. Then, a surprising wave of interest in streaming-game spectatorship introduced a new generation to the delights of tabletop gaming, as did a burgeoning convention culture that has nurtured all aspects of geekdom, propelling these events from the fringes to the mainstream. There’s a bit of nostalgia to it as well. Interest in 1980s pop culture has never been greater, and to many, few things define that era better than D\u0026amp;D. But to get to the heart of the matter, we need to delve a bit deeper. That’s what you’ll discover in the pages that follow. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book you are holding is the incredible story of D\u0026amp;D’s astonishing comeback—both an exploration and a celebration of how it all happened. It is a carefully curated selection of interviews, art, analysis, photography, advertising, making-of war stories, and ephemera that we feel best represents D\u0026amp;D’s fifth edition and the brand’s triumphant renaissance. While we can’t possibly hope to capture every product, moment, or feature of what is now a true phenomenon, our goal as authors was similar to that of the game itself: if everyone has a good time, we all win! So, in the immortal words of the original Player’s Handbook, “Enjoy, and may the dice be good to you!”","brand":"Ten Speed Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304368656613,"sku":"NP9781984859686","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781984859686.jpg?v=1767725775","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/dungeons-dragons-lore-legends-isbn-9781984859686","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}